Okay, before this thread completely fuzzes out, I have my own Takara to add. I was reading some old issues of Railroad Model Craftsman and found ads for Takara-brand brass locomotives in the early to mid '60s. (at the time, imported, handmade brass models from Japan were very popular in model railroading). Their logo was a diamond-shape with a diamond-gemstone in it, above the word "Takara" (which is appropriate enough, since IIANM the word means "treasure").

Now, did our Dakko-chan-mascoted Takara ever make brass models, or is this like Takara beer or this barber chair, just another use of a Cool Name, or even something the importer just cooked up?

in sort-of related news, almost a hundred years before the NES came out, Nintendo existed as a card making company º_o

Click to expand...

I was just going to mention that. Which leads to the possibility that the ads Autobus Prime found could be from the same Takara, but from a time before they made robot toys. (Though I would still doubt the footrest is the some Takara.)